


crawling back to you

by orphan_account



Category: Hannibal (TV), Law & Order: SVU
Genre: Post-Yakimono
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-07-21
Updated: 2014-07-21
Packaged: 2018-02-09 20:36:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,628
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1996983
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After the shooting of Frederick Chilton, Rafael Barba receieves a phone call.</p>
            </blockquote>





	crawling back to you

It was late when Rafael received the phone call.

The Unit had just finished a particularly challenging arrest. With little evidence against the abuser and the victim unstable, it was a miracle that he’d convinced the court, but he did. The bastard was behind bars, just as he should be.

He was packing up back at his office. Amaro and the majority of the squad had left around twenty minutes ago, a general air of satisfaction that the case was finished. Of course,they would move on to another immediately, though it didn’t stop them wallowing in their small victory. 

Olivia remained in his office, aiding him as he checked through the finer details. Although the court case was a success, he had a usual habit of checking through the case and sentence afterwards. He would place any information that could be useful in the future: reports, transcripts, evidence...anything that could possibly give an advantage in case there was another crime from either someone close to the attacker or the abuser himself. In a high profile case such as this, he spent his time checking over every scrap of information. Three cups of coffee later, Benson was pulling on her coat. It was an unspoken agreement that she would help with these files on occasion. She was the person that Barba was closest to out of the squad, and her input was often useful. 

Throwing the paper cups in the bin, the lawyer pulled himself out of his chair. It was around midnight, though to him, that was his equivalent of early afternoon. Giving a brief smile to Olivia, he picked up the file. With a twist of a key, the information was now secure.

“I’ll see you tomorrow, Counci-” the detective began, before she was interrupted by a noise. The default ringtone for an iPhone.

Barba nodded, reaching quickly for his phone out of his pocket. She was often used to this, after all, the councillor was a busy man. Although, it was usually during a case and not in the earlier hours of the morning. As she watched Rafael answer with a professional “Assistant District Attorney Rafael Barba speaking, what is it?” she wondered if lawyers ever slept.

Her thoughts were quickly brought to a halt when she saw his face fall. It was strange to see his face soften, under the mask of professionalism that he often wore. It was part of his job, it had to be, especially for what he deals with. She felt gratitude towards him: he’d put away many of the criminals and often succeeded, even with William Lewis.

“I’ve got to go,” he mentioned quietly, in a voice she’d never heard him use. Rafael’s voice was a mixture of worry and genuine concern, uncharacteristic for his persona.

Before she could stop herself, Benson’s curiosity weighed out. “Where?”

The man’s gaze lowered as he lowered the phone. Shaking his head, his hands lingered over the sleeves of his suit jacket, fidgeting. “I have personal business relatively far away. Now, if you’ll excuse me-”

The ADA’s face changed from the foreign gaze of concern to determination. He had shifted into the man that Olivia was familiar with simply through his facial expressions.

“Yeah, and the last time you said something similar to that was the case revolving around Muñoz. Where are you going, Barba?”

The look Rafael returned was venomous. He spent time deliberating in his mind, as if persuading himself to answer. “Someone I’m close to has just been injured, potentially fatal. There’s an ongoing situation regarding him and the FBI, and he’s now been admitted to hospital with a severe injury. Now, if you’ll excuse me-”

It wasn’t shouting, though Olivia felt as though she had just watched him explode. The air of professionalism he maintained in courtrooms was shattered, replaced by desperation and anger. 

“How far away is it?” It wasn’t her first reaction, although for some reason, it felt right.

“Three hours away.”

“I thought you don’t drive?”

“I don’t.” His voice was distant. Taking a step back, he leaned against the wall, looking over to the window. 

“There’s no way that you’ll find a taxi that’s going to take you three hours away, especially not at this time of night. What do you intend to do, walk?” If the situation was any different, she could have laughed. The whole situation was surreal, seeing the man who was notorious for being a bit of an asshole being brought down to this. She’d seen glimmers of it throughout the Muñoz case, but it was always carefully hidden. This entire situation was none of her business, to be fair, but her curiosity and feelings towards the lawyer had changed that. At this point, he was practically a member of their squad.

“I’ll take you myself,” Olivia’s voice was soft, barely cutting through the air, though she was certain that he heard it. In her mind, she still owed him. Surely a short roadtrip couldn’t hurt.

\---

 

It took ten minutes for Benson to convince Rafael. Somehow, she found that amount of time was getting off easily. 

If she had originally thought the situation was surreal, then this was completely bizarre. Driving in her Ford Mustang, with Barba sat beside her, one arm leaned against the armrest as he gazed out of the window.

Travel directions were not Barba’s strong suit. Somehow “just drive to Baltimore, I’ll lead the rest” wasn’t incredibly helpful. Still, it was relatively easy for her to find her way with the aid of a Sat Nav.

“Who are we visiting?” she murmured, raising an eyebrow. While she respected his privacy, on a three hour car journey, there wasn’t many conversation points to be had.

“Family. Someone I haven’t seen in a long time.” any previous venom in his voice had disappeared. Running his free hand through his hair, Barba looked over to her. She nodded, wishing for him to continue. “His name is Frederick....I’m related, though our parents were separated again and again. It’s a convoluted family tree, so we usually ignored it and labelled ourselves as brothers.”

That was all he mentioned, so she dropped it. They continued on silently to Baltimore, being caught up in traffic again and again. Her mind was reeling from his previous comments. Why did he look so distant? Why hasn’t he spoken to Frederick in such a long time? All unanswered questions, though she felt it would be rude to continue pressing him.

\--

“We’re in Baltimore,” the detective announced. It was late, around half three in the morning. Barba looked across the street, studying the hospital. Under his eyes, Olivia could see bags. She silently noted that this was possibly the longest time she’d seen the ADA without a cup of coffee.

She followed him as he entered the hospital. It was different to the ones in New York that she often frequented, though the posters noting the procedures were similar, right down to the color schemes. Barba rubbed his eyes with one hand, squinting as he looked at the bright lights of the hospital. “Take a seat, Benson. I’ll be back in a few minutes,” he instructed her, before leaving. Behind him, a sign in the shape of an arrow pointed to the front desk.

Around ten minutes later, just as the detective had read through the various leaflets nearby out of boredom, he reappeared. “We’re allowed in. Let’s go,” He called out, a small paper cup in his hand. She didn't have no guess what was inside it.

For the early hours of the morning, the hospital was incredibly busy. Often, Olivia saw people in FBI uniforms walk past. She recalled how, in his outburst, Barba had mentioned there would be involvement from the bureau. She wondered what Frederick could have done that caused this.

“You’re Rafael Chilton, correct?” A nurse stopped them both, raising an eyebrow. Without hesitation, Barba nodded. Swiftly, she lead the way to a large hospital room, the clicks of her high heels echoing throughout the hallway as they made contact with the floor. Her arm outstretched, gesturing to the door. “Right this way, Mister Chilton.” 

Before Olivia could question this, her attention was quickly drawn to the site of the hospital bed. Under the covers, a man lay fast asleep. There was no-one else in the room, leaving it completely silent. Only the drawn out breaths and the steady beeping of a monitor filled the air. Upon closer inspection, the victim looked like the spitting image of Rafael. His hair was sprawled in every direction, traces of blood and scars on his face and arms. However, the main focus was his cheek.

A thick bandage was wrapped around his face, with particular focus on his cheek. Wires connected his arms to the monitors. While it originally looked as though he was sleeping, Benson was starting to have her suspicions.

“It’s a coma,” the ADA announced, as if reading her thoughts. “Bullet shot to the face. Around sixty percent chance that he’ll recover, but that’s the worst of it. Minor injuries from his past, could alter it.”

Considering his injuries, Olivia was surprised at the lack of visitors. Only the occasional doctor visited, ordering them to report back if there were any signs of movement. Leaning back in her chair, she watched the two. Rafael watched his so-called brother closely. Every few minutes, he would mumble to himself. She’d been trying to decipher his whispers until she finally figured out that he was speaking Spanish. He looked up, giving her a slow nod, before returning his gaze back to Frederick.

She looked up to the ceiling, the bright fluorescent lights making her stomach churn. It was going to be a long evening.

**Author's Note:**

> what do you mean "not all raul characters are related in some way"
> 
> I'm not sure when I'll update this, but the next chapter will be Frederick & Rafael interacting.
> 
> Any comments/kudos are greatly appreciated!


End file.
